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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385606">The Walk Out</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird'>smaragdbird</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Terror (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Fury Beach, Introspection, James Clark Ross cameo, M/M, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, past Hickey/Gibson - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:41:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,241</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385606</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>During the attack on the camp, Hickey gets killed. Now it's up to Tozer and Gibson to lead their little group of mutineers</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Thomas Armitage/Solomon Tozer, William Gibson &amp; Solomon Tozer, William Gibson/George Henry Hodgson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Terror Rarepair Week 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Walk Out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Where’s Cornelius?” Billy asked as he grabbed Tozer’s shirt. The boat was loaded and the men in their harnesses. They needed to go now while chaos reigned and before the creature caught up with them.</p><p>Tozer shook his head. “He’s dead.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“The creature got him.”</p><p>Billy’s hand tightened its hold. There was a possibility that Tozer was lying but it wasn’t very likely. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he let go. “Grab a harness. We need to leave now.”</p><p>Miraculously, Tozer followed his command. Des Voeux blew his whistle and then they were moving, away from the camp and hopefully away from the creature. They were less men than anticipated, nine instead of twelve, with Cornelius dead, Armitage not having returned either and no Hodgson. Though Billy doubted that he would have still wanted to be part of this after the revelation of Cornelius’ crimes.</p><p>Not that he had admitted to those charges but no one, Billy included, doubted that Crozier had spoken the truth.</p><p>Behind them they heard the screams of their fellow sailors and the destruction the beast wrecked amongst their tents. At least it was occupied, but for how long? The further they were away, the better. They had a compass and maps but for the moment it was only important that they pulled away from the main camp.</p><p>The harness across his chest felt as if it was trying to suffocate him and the fog didn’t help. It hadn’t been that hard to breathe on the ice but Billy didn’t have time to wonder why. Probably because of the people missing from their group. It was heavier than expected.</p><p>That was all.</p><p>/</p><p>“Where’s Armitage?” Was the first question Tozer asked when they stopped for the night or what passed as night in the Arctic spring.</p><p>“He went back to find you”, Billy replied, leaning heavily against the boat. </p><p>Tozer shook his head. “I didn’t see him.”</p><p>“I am not one of you people”, Diggle protested loudly. “Mutineers.” He spat on the ground in front of Tozer.</p><p>“Now you are”, Des Voeux pointed out. “But if you want to try your luck finding your way back, good luck with that.” He waved his hand around the empty stone desert of nothingness surrounding them. At least the fog had lifted.</p><p>“Bill”, Magnus got his attention. He had been looking at the scanning the horizon with the telescope that had been found with the locals. Irving’s telescope. Billy hadn’t seen his corpse but he had heard descriptions. And here he had thought that he had known Cornelius.</p><p>“Bill”, Magnus said again. “There’s someone.”</p><p>Instantly, everyone was alert. </p><p>“Is the creature?” Billy asked, taking the telescope, pointing it in the direction Magnus showed him as he shook his head.</p><p>Magnus was right, it wasn’t the creature. Instead it was a man, Hodgson, stumbling disorientated through the featureless landscape.</p><p>“It’s Hodgson”, Billy said, lower the telescope. He looked at Tozer and Des Voeux, “Go, get him.”</p><p>He didn’t know why he had given the command or why they followed it, but Tozer seemed too distraught over the loss of Armitage to lead and someone had to. It should’ve been Cornelius, but Billy refused to entertain that thought for long.</p><p>Des Voeux and Tozer returned with Hodgson, who looked worse for wear but largely uninjured aside from a few scrapes and bruises. After offering him some water, Billy asked,</p><p>“The other camp?”</p><p>Hodgson looked guilt stricken. “I don’t know. When the monster attacked…many got lost in the fog.”</p><p>“Did you see Armitage?” Tozer asked.</p><p>Hodgson shook his head. “I think they managed to drive it off, though”, he said eventually after drinking more water. “I heard rockets.”</p><p>“It’ll be the safest to assume that they survived and the beast, too”, Des Voeux said. “They’ll continue south and if they’re more than us, then maybe the beast will follow them rather than us.”</p><p>“We need to figure out where we’re going”, Hodgson said. “Back to the ships? Or do we follow the other group.”</p><p>“We shouldn’t do that”, Billy replied before Tozer could speak up. “If the beast is pursuing the other group, then following them would only put us in danger. We’re much less protected than them.”</p><p>“Fury Beach”, De Voeux said without preamble. “We should make for Fury Beach. There’s provisions there from the wreck of the Fury and it’s close to the whaling channels.”</p><p>“Captain Crozier dismissed that route”, Hodgson replied, meeting de Voeux’s glare unflinchingly. </p><p>“Why?” Tozer asked.</p><p>“Because the provisions might be gone. There was a rumour going around in London before we sailed that whalers planned to plunder the cache”, Hodgson explained.</p><p>De Voeux scoffed at the word ‘rumours’. “The whaling fleet will be there until September. It’s only April. If we make it there, we have a good chance of being rescued.”</p><p>“And if we’re too late and the provisions are gone, we’ll be dead”, Hodgson countered.</p><p>“If we cannot find food and shelter before winter, we’re dead anyway”, Diggle pointed out. He was an Antarctic veteran, if anyone knew it was him.</p><p>The stark reality of their situation was enough to silence them.</p><p>“Fury Beach sounds like our best chance”, Tozer said although Billy thought that he sounded somewhat strained when he said it. “And I’m in favour of anything that keeps us away from the creature.”</p><p>Billy looked around. The other men nodded, some of them mumbling ‘aye’ to Tozer’s assessment. Only one of the maps he had taken showed Fury Beach but it would have to be enough. </p><p>/</p><p>Even with Hodgson joining them, they were less than their original number and it was unanimously decided to leave one of the tents behind when they left the next morning. The sledge was heavy enough as it was.</p><p>Billy would’ve shared with Cornelius and Tozer with Armitage but since neither was here, they ended up sharing a tent instead. </p><p>“What’s that?”</p><p>It took Billy a moment to realise what Tozer was asking about. He hadn’t taken the ring off since Cornelius had given it to him and he had almost forgotten it was even there. Usually the piece of rope he had put the ring on was beneath his shirt but undressing must have let it slip out from under his collar.</p><p>“Cornelius gave it to me as a bribe, to spy on the officers for him.” Maybe he shouldn’t speak ill of a dead man but Tozer had known Cornelius quite well. He would hardly be surprised by the truth.</p><p>“He asked Armitage for the same thing”, Tozer said to Billy’s surprise. “Except he didn’t have to bribe him. Tommy owed him for not revealing that he was the fourth man taking the girl.”</p><p>“Why would he need two spies?” Billy frowned. It didn’t make any sense. As gunroom steward Armitage had had much easier access to the officer’s quarters.</p><p>“You tell me, you knew Hickey better than I did”, Tozer replied with a shrug.</p><p>“I don’t think anyone really knew him”, Billy said, shaking his head. A part of him was surprised how little Cornelius’ death hurt. He felt wistful for his company but it was different to the ache he had felt when he had been close but just out of reach for the past year. Maybe it was for the best. Cornelius had had a habit of complicating situations because he had thought that he was cleverer than everyone else.</p><p>“Did you sleep with him?” Billy asked, putting the ring away. It had been something he had wondered about for a while.</p><p>“No”, Tozer didn’t hesitate with his answer. “He tried but…I wasn’t interested.”</p><p>“You weren’t interested?” Billy sounded sceptical. Even men who would never look at another man on shore, usually accepted such offers if only to get some release.</p><p>“The banter was fun”, Tozer admitted. “But there is someone else and I don’t…I believe in loyalty.”</p><p>“It was Armitage, wasn’t it?”</p><p>Tozer shot him a surprised look. “How do you know?”</p><p>“You did a good job of hiding it. I don’t think I would’ve noticed if I wasn’t like that as well.”</p><p>“It is Armitage”, Tozer corrected him. “He’s still alive.”</p><p>“You cannot know that”, Billy replied. “And even if, he’s with the other group.”</p><p>“If we had followed them – “</p><p>“We would be dead”, Billy interrupted him. “As the smaller group the monster would’ve targeted us first.”</p><p>Tozer wrapped his arms around himself as if for comfort. “Yeah, you’re right.”</p><p>/</p><p>Sledging the boat was hard work, especially with his knee acting up more and more. The shortest way according to the map was to cross the sea north of King William Land to the Boothian Peninsula and then over the Bellot Strait to Somerset Island. He desperately hoped that leads had opened up in the ice. Rowing would be preferable to crossing the ice or so Mr Diggle had said. He was the only one of them with experience and he had come to accept that he was now one of them.</p><p>At the end of each day, they’d all be so exhausted that camp set up was quick and messy before they all crawled into their tents and fell asleep.</p><p>Which was why Billy was very cross when Tozer woke him up. “Solomon, it’s the middle of the night.”</p><p>“I know…I thought I heard it, the monster. I can’t sleep.”</p><p>“So you decided that I shouldn’t get any sleep either?” Billy rubbed a hand over his face. He was tired and sleep was the only time when he didn’t feel the pain in his joints so he was less than inclined to humour Tozer. “You could’ve relieved Manson of his watch.”</p><p>“I’ve got something to tell you”, Tozer blurted out.</p><p>Only now did Billy notice how nervous he seemed. “Well, go ahead.”</p><p>“Do you believe in souls?”</p><p>“Are you drunk?” Billy asked, irritated. He was definitely not in the mood for a philosophical debate.</p><p>“Do you?” Tozer repeated his question as he shook his head.</p><p>“Go back to sleep, Solomon.” Billy was about to lie down again and draw the blanket over his head when Tozer spoke again.</p><p>“I didn’t tell you everything that happened when Hickey died.”</p><p>“Did you kill him? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” He had suspected it for a while now, but what could he do about it? He needed Tozer alive and for him revenge would always come behind survival.</p><p>“What? No!” Tozer sounded genuinely appalled. “The beast killed him, but when it…when it did, it breathed his soul in. I saw it. I saw it as clearly as I see you now. But it was black and…the beast staggered afterwards, when it tried to come towards me. As if it had been wounded – or poisoned.”</p><p>“You’re saying that the monster died because Cornelius’ soul was rotten?” What was he meant to say to that? He wasn’t a priest or a doctor.</p><p>“Maybe? I don’t know. All I know is that it ate his soul.” Tozer sounded nearly frightened out of his mind. Billy sat back up.</p><p>“Look, whatever you saw, it doesn’t matter. If you’re right, then the creature is dead and even if it’s not, we haven’t seen it for weeks. Try to get some sleep. You’ll need your strength tomorrow.”</p><p>“Yeah, you’re right”, Tozer rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“It’s fine”, Billy said. He watched as Tozer lay down, pulling the blanket up around him like a shield. </p><p>“I love him”, Tozer said quietly, head pillowed on his arm. “Tommy, I mean.”</p><p>“It’s too late to turn back now”, Billy reminded him.</p><p>“I know, just, what if we survive and he doesn’t?”</p><p>“You’ll have to learn to live with that.”</p><p>“Like you learned to live with Hickey’s death?”</p><p>Billy snorted. “It wasn’t like that between us. We had our fun, nothing more.”</p><p>“Is that why you’re still wearing his ring?”</p><p>“No, besides we broke it off a year ago.”</p><p>“I know. Everyone knew. It was prime gossip on the ship how you suddenly went from being attached at the hip to not speaking to each other at all.”</p><p>“Irving caught us”, Billy said. The whole thing seemed much longer ago than a year, yet he couldn’t help but wonder if that was why Cornelius had killed Irving. “I didn’t want to be lashed so I told him Cornelius had seduced me.”</p><p>“Damn”, Tozer winced.</p><p>“I didn’t know what else to do.”</p><p>“I think he was in love with you”, Tozer said. “That’s why he gave you the ring. That’s why he was always looking at you, even when he was bantering with someone else. I think he wanted you back.”</p><p>“Maybe”, Billy replied. He had come to the same conclusion a long time ago and if Irving had died earlier or if Cornelius had lived…then yes, they would’ve ended up here again. He glanced at Tozer. “What about Armitage? How long?”</p><p>“Since Beechey”, Tozer replied, a smile spreading over his face. “We went hunting together, and we were roughhousing over some joke and then it just happened.”</p><p>“Everyone thought it was just hero-worship on Armitage’s side”, Billy said, “like what Jopson had with the Captain.”</p><p>“Tommy said that’s how it started for him”, Tozer said. “I’ve lost my wife the year before we sailed. I didn’t think I would ever feel like that again.”</p><p>“I could take your mind off it if you want”, Billy offered.</p><p>Tozer shook his head. “I’m only interested in one person at a time.”</p><p>“Fair enough”, Billy replied with a shrug. This sort of fidelity felt strange to him, but Tozer had just said that he had been married before. Maybe it was something someone grew into.</p><p>/</p><p>The sea northeast of King William Land was heavy with ice but open. They gauged themselves on fish, so hungry that they ate it without cooking it first, and stayed a few days to gather their strength for the crossing.</p><p>They had to carefully pick their way through the ice, the wind and currents pushing them south with all their might. </p><p>Billy was no stranger to dangerous seas, having crossed both the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean but this was something else entirely. Up in the ships the ice had seemed tameable but caught in it in their small boat it seemed hubris to have ever come here.</p><p>Miraculously enough they did make it to the Boothian Peninsula unharmed. Billy gave orders to stock up on as much fish as they could catch before they’d cross it to reach the eastern shore and then turn north until they reached Fury Beach. By this point he was commanding out of habit and the others followed him for the same reason.</p><p>Cornelius would’ve liked this strange new world where a steward gave orders to a Lieutenant, he thought idly.</p><p>“Here”, Hodgson said when he walked over to Billy and offered him some raw fish.</p><p>“Do we have no coal left for the stove?” Billy asked, taking the fish. It was freshly caught and looked appetising, even uncooked.</p><p>“Mr Blanky once told me that eating raw meat helps with scurvy”, Hodgson replied. When Billy shot him a look, he elaborated, “Your knee has been bothering you, hasn’t it?”</p><p>“It’s gotten better”, Billy replied, and it had. Ever since they had started catching fish.</p><p>“You would have made a fine officer”, Hodgson said, nearly causing Billy to choke on the fish. He rubbed his back as if in apology but it was much gentler than what was needed to save someone from a piece of food caught in their throat.</p><p>“Like Jopson?” He knew Hodgson had had reservation about Jopson’s promotion. </p><p>“I might have judged that rashly”, Hodgson admitted somewhat sheepishly. “I had thought it was because – “</p><p>“- he was fucking the Crozier?” Billy interrupted him. He wouldn’t have been the only one. Most men on Terror had thought so, though Jopson had always denied it.</p><p>“I was going to say because of misplaced loyalty due to their time in Antarctica”, Hodgson replied but his embarrassment told Billy that he had been right. “But you’ve done a fine job leading us so far. I know Mr Hickey and Sergeant Tozer came up with this plan but I admire how you stepped up.”</p><p>“Thank you”, Billy said. Hodgson had spoken up for him to get him a place on this expedition, and although the jury was still out whether or not that had been a good thing, Billy was grateful. He offered the half-eaten fish to Hodgson who declined.</p><p>“I feel guilty for leaving the others behind”, Hodgson said eventually.</p><p>“You didn’t leave voluntarily”, Billy pointed out.</p><p>“but I wanted to”, Hodgson admitted, “Before I knew of the extent of Mr Hickey’s crimes. I know this is very uncharitable of me but I am glad he is dead. What he did to John…I’m sorry. I know you were close.”</p><p>Had they been? Billy wondered. It must have looked like that to the others, but what had he really known about Cornelius? Nothing. He didn’t doubt that Tozer could answer a myriad of questions about Armitage while he would struggle to say anything of substance about Cornelius. </p><p>“It shows that we can never really know one another, doesn’t it? Fitzjames knew Stanley well and he still couldn’t predict what he would do.” Hodgson had continued, oblivious to Billy’s thoughts.</p><p>Tozer thought that Cornelius had been in love with him. Perhaps he had been. In the end, it didn’t matter. </p><p>That night, he swapped sleeping places with des Voeux. Hodgson was just as easily ordered around in bed as he was sledging the boat.</p><p>Tozer rolled his eyes at him the next day, but no one said anything, so Billy decided to stay the next night as well. </p><p>And the night after that.</p><p>And the next one.</p><p>/</p><p>They never made it to Fury Beach. </p><p>Instead they were found by a dogsled team led by Sir James Clark Ross himself, who had come on a rescue mission with two Royal Navy ships. </p><p>“Where is Francis?” Was the first thing he asked them once he had ascertained that they belonged to Sir Franklin’s Expedition.</p><p>Perhaps they should’ve gotten their story straight earlier, but Mr Diggle had served with Sir James in Antarctica for four years. He wouldn’t want him to think that he had been part of a mutiny, so instead they told a story about the attack and getting separated from the bigger group in the fog. </p><p>And that the plan had been to go to Fort Resolute.</p><p>Sir James’ face showed despair when they told him this. Apparently it hadn’t been considered that the expedition would choose that path instead of turning to Fury beach. He accompanied them back to the ships before setting off again. </p><p>Tozer stood next to Billy at the railing as they watched the dog team speed south-west, in hopes of finding the survivors in time, laden with supplies and lemon juice after what had Hodgson and Diggle told them about the state of the other group and the poisoned tins.</p><p>“I hope he finds them”, Tozer said, and Billy could already see how the hope would eat him up alive until Sir James returned. There would be all kinds of consequences for them if Crozier was found alive. </p><p>“I hope so, too.”</p>
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